Akshay Tritiya today marks the beginning of the marriage season. Here’s where you can get a trousseau without shelling out much.

Today is Akshay Tritiya. Hundreds of marriages have been lined up across cultures in the city. An average wedding dress costs approximately between Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 for the bride and between Rs 15, 000 to Rs 40,000 for the groom. Youcan save on the bucks and still look a million bucks by hiring out a wedding outfit, complete with jewellery and accessories.

Some places to rent out from:

Bharat Dresswalla, DadarHaresh Patel of Bharat Dresswalla has been renting out wedding dresses for several years now. But the trend, according to him, has become popular with brides and grooms only over the last six-seven years.

His collection includes 20 to 25 wedding dresses. There are saris and gowns too. There aren’t any available at the moment. He says he’s rented out everyone of them for weddings coming up next week. Patel charges his clients between Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 a day.

case, you don’t find something to suit your taste or measurements, you can get a dress custom-made by shelling out a little more. Contact: 09220510521,022-24308601

Jawahar Dresswalla and Company, Andheri“Abhi iska itna craze nahi hai, magar kaafi log ye shuru kar rahe hain (The trend is not all that that popular yet but it’s slowly picking up),” says Jawahar Naeem Khan of Jawahar Dresswalla and Company. His offer is pretty similar to Bharat Dresswala. Apart from renting out from his existing collection, you can have a dress customised to your specifications.

Rental charges are between Rs 1,500 and Rs 5,000 for the bride and between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for the groom’s ‘sherwani’. Contact: 022-26282653, 022-26340977

Roz Bridals, MahimRozaline D’Souza caters to Catholic brides. You can rent out a wedding gown for as little as Rs 2,800 at D’Souza’s store.

Bridal Gallery, Mazgaon.Contact: 09699264933 Two brides on their rented gear

Molly D’souza The co-owner of Bridal Gallery, she rented out her wedding dress from her husband. “I think it’s a good idea to cut costs. Besides, you don’t have to worry about the space that it would take up and the dry-cleaning costs,” she points out, adding that over a period of time, the colours fade. Molly says, “I had earlier craved for my own wedding dress but then realised, after meeting my husband at his shop, that renting one out was far more practical.”

Sheetal Ambardekar A soon a bride-to-be, Sheetal prefers to go for a wedding dress that will be hers forever.

“A few of my friends suggested that I rent the ‘lehenga’ but I eventually decided to buy a sari of my own. You could say that I’m conservative. But I had no idea that you could rent out customised saris, it’s an economical option.”

‘It’s not like you can’t reuse your wedding dress’

Mickey Contractor, Bollywood make-up artistThis is something I can’t imagine myself doing. The wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime event. If one can’t afford an expensive dress for this momentous occasion, at least buy yourself a decent one that will hang in your cupboard to remind you of the day you said, “I do.”

Arzoo Gowitrikar, Model and actressRenting your wedding sari, which you would probably never again use, makes a lot of sense. When I got married, I had borrowed my friend’s nine-yard sari because I knew I would never feel the need for it again. It saved me lot of money.

Rahul Mishra, Fashion designerI don’t support the idea. I believe marriage is an auspicious occasion, and what you wear carries a strong message. It’s a beginning of a new phase of your life and so wearing something new and original on the day is important. Besides, it’s not like you can’t reuse your wedding dress. Mix and match is the solution.

Umair Zafar, Fashion designerIt’s an individual choice. It works from the economic perspective. But if one can afford to buy one, one should opt for it rather than rent out a dress. I would definitely prefer to have my own wedding costume.

Ronit Roy, ActorIt’s a common practice in the West. It’s foolish to spend big bucks on one dress. But if my daughter was getting married, I would probably get her a dress of her own. I don’t think that’s a silly idea.